Supplemental Nursing System (SNS): How to Breastfeed With an SNS

Hi, I’m Kristin, the Founder and CEO of Well Supported Family. I adopted a baby in early 2026, and with this new chapter in my life, I decided that nursing with the SNS system would be best for my family. Nursing my adopted child has helped me promote a deep bond, support cortisol levels, and encourage healthy jaw development.

I know that not every path to breastfeeding is linear. I have worked with parents who struggled with their supply. With babies who had tongue or lip ties, or who refused to latch for various reasons. I’ve recommended the SNS System to almost all of them. 

As an adoptive parent looking to bond with my baby, I found that using a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) gave me an option to nurse my baby directly from my breast while supplementing with donor milk or formula.

There are many supplemental nursing systems available, but after many trial and errors, I found that a setup using a nipple shield, feeding tube, and bottle worked best for me.

Traditional SNS options felt difficult for me to manage. I didn’t always have a convenient place to hang a bottle high enough, and taping a tube to my breast just wasn’t a good fit for me. I needed a system that was simple to set up at home or on the go, easy to clean, and durable enough to support us throughout our nursing journey.

 How We Made Our Own SNS: 

1. NeoMed Kangaroo Feeding Tube [size 5] 
2. NeoMed NeoConnect Oral Enteral Syringe with Enfit Connector 
3. Medela Nipple Shield – you can try other nipple shields but I found that the holes in the medela shield were perfect to fit the feeding tube into. 
4. Bottle – this could be a Dr Browns 4oz bottle, or a milk storage bottle, but try to keep it under 5 oz so that it can fit in your bra.

How we set up the SNS:

1. Warm the milk

I found that warm breastmilk or warm formula [powdered, not ready-to-feed] worked well and didn’t clog the feeding tube. The ready-to-feed formula was too thick and made feedings really slow. 

2. Wash the nipple shield.

A freshly washed nipple shield sticks better than one washed a few hours before. I preferred dawn dish soap as it removes the slimy film that breastmilk can leave behind.  

3. Insert the feeding tube.

Feed the end of the feeding tube through a hole in the nipple shield. I would always feed it through further than I needed and adjust after I got the nipple shield in place. 

4. Adjust the tube.

Once the nipple shield is in place, I would adjust the feeding tube to only stick out of the hole a tiny bit. 

5. Place the bottle of milk into your bra between your breasts.

I found this to be the easiest way to fill the milk and keep it warm throughout the feeding. 

6. Fill the syringe with milk.

Then screw it to the anchor end of the feeding tube. Slowly push milk through until it fills the feeding tube and you can see some fill the shield.

7. Drop the anchor into the bottle.

8. Latch your baby!

Breastfeeding is sold to us as being the most natural and easy thing a mom can do, but that’s not always the case. As with most things, it’s a learning curve, one where tools like the SNS system can make a massive difference in someone’s breastfeeding journey. 

Well Supported Family works with parents from all walks of life, and excel at helping parents figure out the best path forward on whatever feeding journey they choose. One of the major benefits of working with a Newborn Care Specialist or Postpartum Doula is that they can help you troubleshoot issues surrounding feeding, sleep and more. Book a call today to know that you and your baby will be uplifted and supported immediately following birth.